Category Archives: The Refocus Challenge

Today I just want to share something I read the other day with you. I thought it was splendid, and well worth sharing. I couldn’t have explained my opinions on kids and church going any better than this lady did. Why I would never force my kids to go to church. Happy Sunday! Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. P.S. This is our day on the blog to refocus on what is truly important. You can find more Refocus Challenge posts HERE.

Today I am feeling grateful. Grateful for a working vehicle. Grateful for the hot shower I had this morning. Grateful for the little person twirling in circles singing at the top of her lungs beside me as I type this post. Grateful that God doesn’t always listen to me. Just suppose God did listen to me all the time. Those long sighs I sigh at the end of the day when I’m faced with the trail of mess stretching from one end of the house to the other created by the energetic labors of two little blond heads cozily asleep in their beds…suppose He decided to lighten my work load and take one, or both away, just to help me out? I’m grateful He doesn’t always listen. I’m grateful He doesn’t listen when I’m annoyed at the hot water heater leaking, and the pipe under the house breaking, and the vehicle … Continue reading →

It might be the anguish of attempting to potty train a stubborn two year old, or it might be the weird pregnancy cravings for pineapple slushies when its thirty degrees outside, but I’ve had the enormous subject of parenting on the brain lately. It doesn’t matter what anyone could have told me, warned me, or coached me about parenting…the plain fact is, I had no idea what I was getting into before that first little girl of mine showed up. Have you ever noticed the only people who are experts at parenting are the ones who either don’t have any, or those who have had theirs so long ago they conveniently don’t recall half the things their kids did. Anybody who gets up every morning to face the day’s battles with a bewilderingly active, cantankerous and mischievous child or a mysteriously complex teenager will be the last person to claim … Continue reading →

Ever thought that God can’t do anything with you? Ever thought that you weren’t worth His time? Ever come up with a real dandy of an excuse as to why God shouldn’t expect you to do some particular thing? Pretty sure I have a time or ten! Funny thing is, God has been dealing with us humans for a long time…and He’s never yet met one that He couldn’t use… …How odd. The Bible is just chuck full of ordinary, rotten people just like you and me who did amazing things all because they let God use them. So what was that excuse I had again?? Maybe that excuse is really just an opportunity for God to do something amazing. Maybe God does a little “dumpster diving” Himself now and then to find that perfect piece of junk…to make into His treasure. If people can do it with pallets, and … Continue reading →

Every now and then, I’ll take my two favorite little people to some sort of chicken nugget/ indoor play place providing establishment for a lunch out. The chance to eat their favorite food and to climb like monkeys with other kids is pretty much all two little girls need to make them deliriously happy. Who am I kidding? Skipping out on the lunch mess and the few moments of peace and quiet on the opposite side of the sound proof glass, with only the occasional wave or thumbs up required, makes me deliriously happy too! Sitting there idly scrolling through my phone, I watched little sister furiously pumping her chubby little legs, madly trying to shove herself up the ladder which was made for slightly taller children. Big sister came careening around the corner to her rescue. With a massive bear hug, much tugging, and a mighty heave she managed … Continue reading →

Is there any better feeling than knowing you are loved and wanted by someone? Valentine’s day was two days ago, and to some that may mean a chocolate induced coma, or a vase of roses, or a card, or a date night…and to some that may mean nothing at all. To be loved by another person is a wonderful thing, but even then, that wonderful love is marred. By us, the human…the failure and disappointment that every single human being will bring to another at some point, simply because we are imperfect beings. That’s why the love of another human will never fully complete us. Our hearts were made to need a love stronger than any that we can find in life, it is made to need the love of our Heavenly Father. They say that love is the universal language, do you suppose that that is some sort of … Continue reading →

I don’t care who you are, there are times when a person just feels blue. Down in the dumps. Depressed about life. Completely melancholy. Some people may only encounter those feelings once in a great while, some people may fight them a lot. Life events are often the cause… problems, complications, loss, the down time after something grand and wonderful has happened, you name it. Silently and suddenly feelings can take a turn. Feeling down in and of itself isn’t a problem. It’s when we let the ugly cloud grow, and we choose to become a servant to our feelings that it becomes a problem. One way or the other, we will either have to learn to cope with the problem and conquer the dole drums, or it will conquer us. Telling yourself or someone else “just to get over it” probably isn’t going to help much, but doing something … Continue reading →

I read these verses the other morning in my quiet time, and found them to be very encouraging and comforting. Our problems are so very small to such a capable Creator, how silly we are not to trust Him with those worries that grind us down every day. I’m so very grateful my Heavenly Father takes such careful and particular care of His children, aren’t you? Worry and faith can’t both live in the same heart, you must choose which you’d rather have. Luke 12:22 -31 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than … Continue reading →

Back when we were in negotiations to buy this house, we had a lot of things to consider. One big concern we had was the integrity of the foundation. The home inspector seemed to think there might be something wrong with it based on a crack he had found. We made a deal with the seller to let us have the foundation looked at by a professional. We paid a hefty amount to have a structural engineer to come inspect the foundation and the structural integrity of the house. Oh yes, you can fix damaged foundations, but it would probably cost just as much to level the house and start over! I could paint walls, and install new appliances and floors to my heart’s content….but, what good would it be when the floors start to sag, the walls crack, and the roof starts leaking? A good foundation is rather massively … Continue reading →

It’s the start of a new year, new opportunities, new difficulties, and more of the old challenges that appear year after year. I’m not huge on new year’s resolutions, or words for the year, or that sort of thing. However, I do like to set goals for myself. This year I think my main goal is to live on purpose, one choice at a time. Choices are what make us an individual, they give us the freedom to succeed or to fail. The moment I hand over my choice to someone else, to some circumstance, to some excuse, I have forfeited my freedom as an individual. How I was raised, or who I am married to, or how my kids act, or what my financial situation, or the state of my employment, or my physical abilities, or the scope of my possessions, or how I have been treated do not … Continue reading →

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Welcome to chapter37! I'm Abby, the face behind the blog, and I'm so glad you are here! I call myself mom to four beautiful stories being written...two typical girls full of sparkles and giggles, one former preemie winning her battles one at a time, and a little man living life with gusto despite kidney failure and liver cancer. I write about the kids, the house, and all the mess in between. I hold the opinion that anything in life can be handled with God, a paint brush and a healthy sense of humor!